Labour cover up damning Olympic report

Tue, 02/12/2008 - 15:46

SNP Westminster Culture and Sport spokesperson, Pete Wishart MP has seized on the publication of an internal UK Government strategy paper that reveals that leading civil servants and economists warned in 2002 that the London Olympics would bring little economic or social benefit.

The ‘Game Plan’ study was commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Prime Minister’s strategy unit, and concluded that "The quantifiable evidence to support each of the perceived benefits for mega-events is weak…be clear that they appear to be more about celebration than economic return."

Mr Wishart said:

"Just weeks since Tessa Jowell told us that the UK Government would never have chosen to host the 2012 Olympics if it known an economic downturn was around the corner, and now we find out Ministers were warned the Olympics would bring little economic or social benefit.

"The cost of the Games is out of control – spiralling from £2.4bn to almost ten billion. Ministers must explain why they didn’t listen to their own experts.

"Good causes the length and breadth of the country have lost out on lottery cash as it’s diverted to subsidise these Games.

"The UK Government made a great play about the benefits of the Olympics, and now Labour Ministers have some serious explaining to do.2